Here I am, one week from Match —
Decisions that come with a catch.
I know not who I’ll be quite soon
Nor where I’ll be to play in tune.
I should be ready, but I’m not.
I feel that soon I will be caught.
Then the world will know my lies —
That my short coat is my disguise.
Forget that I have studied science,
Done my time with due compliance.
Forget that I have taken Steps
And interviewed and the rest.
Because when nightfall comes about,
And the hallways empty out,
That two small letters sewn with thread
Will inevitably cause me dread.
I’ll be called and paged and asked —
Expected to return them fast
With clear assessments, plans, and orders
As my time draws even shorter.
I’ll need answers, canned and ready —
Hiding that my hands are sweaty.
I must rely on my own training,
Certain that it will be draining.
I know that I signed up for this,
But something must have gone amiss.
There’s no way that I’ve come this far,
To be honored as some star.
Soon, all eyes will be on me,
Cheers of praise and victory.
But it’s a dream; I’ll soon wake up,
Once my body’s slept enough.
Contributing Writer
James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University
Pooja Jagadish is a fourth-year medical student at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a double-major in Anthropology and Women's and Gender Studies and co-founded a student organization to raise awareness about abuse on college campuses. During medical school, she created the Quillen High School Outreach Program to inspire regional high school students to pursue health careers in medically-underserved Southern Appalachia. In her free time, Pooja enjoys writing short stories and poetry and playing the piano.